LIBERIA: Court Purges Cllr. Gongloe, Others Of Contempt Charge

The Chief Judge of the Commercial Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, Eva Mappy Morgan, has purged Counselors Tiawon Gongloe, Momolu Kandakai and Philip Gongloe of the contempt charge levied against them by the Judge.

The charge, according to the court, grew out of the three lawyers’ failure to advise their client to distance himself from press interviews while a matter was still in court.

The court claimed that this act made the lawyers to be “in violation of the code of moral and professional ethics,” and failure to “uphold the dignity of the court.”

Judge Morgan lifted the contempt charge based upon a request from Cllr Gongole, who asked the court to purge the charge against them, indicating that he has served in the legal profession for 30 years now, and that he is a good lawyer with morals and respectable character.

He said he will not do anything to undermine the rule of law, and therefore appealed to the court to clear them of the contempt charge.

Judge Morgan stated that Cllr Gongloe ill-advised his client who spewed insults and accused the Judge of stealing US$3.4 million from the MOTC Company’s account at LBDI Bank.

However, Judge Morgan made it clear that she is a God-fearing person who will not do such thing to anyone, adding, “I can never be so wicked to steal money that does not belong to me within seven months. How can this be?”

Judge Morgan indicated that the allegation has brought her reputation as a Judge, who has served 30 years in the legal profession, to public disgrace for no reason and without proof.

Judge Morgan said when his client was on the airwave; Cllr. Gongole did nothing to stop him, but rather allowed him to do what he did when the matter was sub-judice.

“However, when a matter is before court, it means it is sub-judice and as such cannot be discussed on radio or in the newspaper,” she stated.

She cautioned lawyers to desist from giving their clients bad advises.

The three lawyers are representing the legal interest of businessman Amos Brosius, who claims that Judge Morgan has illegally withdrawn the sum of US$3.4 million from the bank account of Ducor Petroleum Incorporated (DPI).

Brosius is said to be a minority shareholder of DPI, an enterprise owned by Belgian businessman Charles Carron.

“The Counselors fell short of properly advising their client who called a press conference and spoke on a radio talk show defying the order of the court prohibiting him from completely acting in any capacity of the DPI as General Manager until the outcome of the audit and subsequent conclusion of all matters in these proceedings,” Judge Morgan indicated.

Meanwhile, Cllr. Gongole along with the two other lawyers, who were ordered arrested to be incarcerated for 20 days at the Monrovia Central Prison, Tuesday walked out of the court with smiles on their faces.

(Visited 141 times, 1 visits today)

Comments

Joel Cholo Brooks is a Liberian journalist who previously worked for several international news outlets including the BBC African Service. He is the CEO of the Global News Network which publishes two local weeklies, The Star and The GNN-Liberia Newspapers. He is a member of the Press Union Of Liberia (PUL) since 1986, and several other international organizations of journalists, and is currently contributing to the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation as Liberia Correspondent.